GRACIEMAG.com spoke with the two-time Jiu-Jitsu world champion about his hopes for the fight, Brandon Vera and training
GRACIEMAG.com: How has your break after the fight with Napao been?
Werdum: I spend a month in Spain with my family teaching a lot of seminars and assisting some of my students. I’m in Porto Alegre now where we are setting up a new Chute Boxe training center, which should be inaugurated on March 13th. However, I will be doing my training for the fight in Curitiba and in the future we will do an exchange between the two academies.
GRACIEMAG.com: And what about the fight with Brandon Vera, is it a done deal? What do you know about his game?
Werdum: It’s 100% confirmed. I accepted the fight right off the bat and I think it was well matched. It will be a good fight, it won’t stop, anything can happen. He’s a tough guy who’s going after his. He’s big and fast, a tall striker, he’s 1.88meters, and good with his knees, he’s also a Jiu-Jitsu brown belt and has gotten the submission in several fights.
GRACIEMAG.com: When will you be returning to heavy training? Have you talked to the team to lay out a strategy for the fight?
Werdum: I’ll go back to heavy training and see about my plan on Monday. I have three months to get ready. I’ll prepare myself a lot better for this fight, like never before. I want to be ready for anything.
GRACIEMAG.com: Do you think it’s already about time to fight for the title or do you think it’s best not rush things?
Werdum: After the fight with Napao, Dana White said I’d returned to the top 5 and that maybe I would get a shot at the title, but it wasn’t for sure. I already thought before I’d have to fight one more time. I think everything is happening at the right time, I don’t want to do anything prematurely. I don’t have the right to now because I lost to Arlovsky; if I’d won it would be another story. I have two more appearances on my UFC contract, I want to do this one and then fight for the belt.
GRACIEMAG.com: Would you like to face Minotauro for the belt? What did you think of his fight with Tim Sylvia?
Werdum: I was sure that Minotauro would submit him, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy. He’s really good, is always ahead of his adversary, thinking about the future. He surely practiced that move a lot. I’d like to fight him, to get a revenge match. I always modeled myself on him, but at the time we fought, I was not well, my Master Mauricao had just passed away.
source: graciemag.com
